That Grand Canyon Trip 2007

The sight of mighty rock formation raise high above sea level, deep Canyon with a river flowing, cliff as high as KLCC Twin Tower faced with tonnes and tonnes of red rock and the whole area is a barren land. No sight of life form living except for some tuyuk, pok katok and pok kor. That were the scene greeted my friends and I when we first Arrived at the Grand Canyon on Friday.

Reality check, again... Well, the scene, which greeted me on Friday were more or less like what I’ve described just now, except for the place name is Al Ain. And it's not barren, there're plenty of life form there and dates, lots and lotsa dates... And Pakistanis too. Al Ain situated some 100km from Dubai, a town built by Sheikh Zayed some thousand of years back It’s located in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi. Hmm well, actually, maybe he built it somewhere in 1800s or 1900s, I don't know. Don't really dig into this country history that much. Thousand of years sound more dramatic for a story, don't you think? Anyway, I arrived there around 5pm and headed to Al Ain Oasis right away. Main reason of going there is to go to this particular Oasis. It's not a nomad community or Bedouin village but a dates farm. Not where you'll find your date but where you'll be eating the dates. Okay, not that kinda 'eat' okay, eat the date as in fruit. It's a big farm, some hundreds of acre I thing with a superb road system and full of Pakistanis. We bought a stack of date for dh10, freshly cut from the tree.

Upon exiting one of the farm exits, I came across two camels and a horse stable, which was full of shit. But since that was the first time I’m seeing a camel, couldn't help but to snap some pixies. Next to the small stable is a goat market. Goat market is a market where herdsmen’s sell goats, pretty obvious I think. Oh, anyway, the herdsmen’s are Pakistanis. There’re big goat and small goat, and some sheep. At least, that's what I called the entire goat. Smelly creature! My friend, who stayed in Sudan before and have some knowledge bout goat's family tree, told me that this is goat, that is garoof, that one is khibas, beside it is lamb and there rest is Pakistanis. We end up purchasing a brown color goat for dh300. So cute, but 10minute after that the goat end up dead! Slaughtered! Huar huar huar (please laugh in sinister mode, thank you).

Before we left Al Ain, we all when to a mountain called Jabeel Hafeet. Bout 1000m or more in height and the journey was like driving up to Genting, minus the cold weather and that superfast sentra taxi. It's a mountain with a hotel on top, minus the casino, of course. The view was splendid, I supposed, if there's no dust/haze of cloud. It does remind me of my trip to Mount Berinchang last February, driving up for a nice view but was greeted with cloud which pretty much covered the scene. The short trip ended around 8pm after we head down from the mountain and stopped at the mountain’s toe at Green Muqarrabah. A nice garden and river stream. Full of peoples. Didn't managed to snap any nice night view photo as I don't have the tripod with me, darn!

Anyway, tomorrow will be having goat for dinner, which is by now, appropriately called mutton. And sad thing is, I can't really eat mutton that much cos it make my blood doesn’t goes upstairs’ or goes up to much. Does this mean I’m having high blood pressure or low blood pressure symptom? But never had that problem when I eat the cow meat. Hmm hopefully not, or else I can't eat that juicy Korea meat anymore. Yummy So kalbe.

I traveled here and there but I’m getting nowhere. I just wanna go home.

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